Flightpath Volume 24, No.3 is out now, sporting a fantastic image of Guy Bourke’s elegant Waco AGC-8 Custom Cabin on the cover. And that’s just a taste of what’ s in store once you get past the cover.
The Ryan B.1 Brougham in Australia Four Ryan B.1s had eventful Australian histories. Neil Follett outlines this rare type’s Australian story, and some of the famous people involved with them.
Was that a Zero over Brisbane? When the war in the Pacific began, allied pilots lacked even the most basic aids required to identify their new enemy’s aircraft. Peter Dunn explains how this ignorance was overcome, and how Brisbane’s Eagle Farm aerodrome played a key role with captured enemy aircraft.
Circuitous travels in a Custom Cabin Waco Owner Guy Bourke flew his 1939 Waco AGC-8 Custom Cabin across the USA, and with the aircraft now safely flying in Australia, he recounts a fun-filled and eventful six months, a journey that actually.
TA-4J Skyhawk Pacific Aero Ventures felt that there was a place for flying a two-seat Douglas A-4 Skyhawk for fast jet testing, as a chase plane, and as a personal jet warbird. Keith Charlot tells the story, and we take a look at the TA-4G Skyhawk, RAN “880” now on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Nowra, NSW.
Liberator Ghost Ship South Pacific correspondent Michael John Claringbould fills in the story behind the recent discovery of a “lost” WWII Consolidated B-24 Liberator wreck in New Guinea, which flew on pilotless for 473 kilometres on autopilot.
Ron Larsen – A life in aviation Following last issue’s Photopast, we present a more detailed biography by daughter Carolynn Larsen, and further images from Ron Larsen’s life.
“Passable by motor transport” On the morning of 2 August 1942, Lae received an abrupt distress call from the pilot of a sleek Japanese twin, Warrant Officer Tokunaga Tamotsu. Tokanunga’s Nakajima J1N1-C Gekkou had fallen victim to a gaggle of Airacobras. South Pacific correspondent Michael John Claringbould describes the incident, which marked one of the last times the Japanese would conduct aerial reconnaissance of what would become infamously known as the Kokoda Trail.
The Lady Be Good Now and Then Most readers will probably be familiar with the well-known story of the loss and discovery of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator Lady Be Good, but Contributing Editor James Kightly brings the story up to dare and discusses some of the contentious aspects to the situation.
Last of the Superforts Amongst the various warbird ride programmes currently operating in America, the most ambitious and unique offering must be the opportunity to fly in FiFi, the world’s only operational example of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, operated by the Commemorative Air Force. Correspondent Mike Shreeve took a flight aboard.
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